Research support Brief 1 TV Drama The Brief

You work for Silver Lining Productions, a multi-media production company that has had recent television success with fly on the wall documentaries, structured reality programming and fiction products. They have also developed supporting media for their broadcast productions in print, audio and e-media. The company is known for its work in pushing the boundaries of existing formats and so is willing to consider original and creative approaches to existing formats..

What is a Production Company?

TV Production Companies

They provide the financing, filming and post-production for programmes They then pitch these programmes to broadcasters They may work in collaboration with the broadcasters and/or with other production companies to share the costs Selling their programmes is how they make their profits the more broadcasters (including internationally) they can get to purchase their programmes, the more return on their investment! Also, DVD rights etc.

Production Company
http://www.hattrick.co.uk/

Hat Trick is one of the UKs most successful independent production companies, their output immediately identified with popular and award-winning programming, light entertainment and drama, and now also emerging into digital media. Working with the best writers and producers, who in turn attract the best on-screen talent, Hat Trick remains at the forefront of the creation of new television. Some of the brightest names in British television began their careers and continue to build them under the Hat Trick brand. How many production companies can you name? Think about the closing credits on your favourite programmes. Follow this link to a list of UK TV production companies:

http://thetvroom.com/misc/links-01-70.html In particular, be aware of their understanding of their audiences following reviewing the clip.

Silver Lining Production Company

Remember to include this in your products. Youll need to create a logo for moving image and e-media work. Ignore the fact that there is already a production company under this name your task is to create one! The Target Audience The brief says that the programme will have a target audience similar to E4s demographic (1535) Thats you! You need to research E4s programming so that your offering will appeal to their audiences. Youve been given age, but also need to consider: gender; socio-economics; genres they produce and other audience segmentation which you think will be relevant to your programme idea. Suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting: you need to research what the implications are for this!

Moving Image 1. Titles and Opening

Produce the opening few scenes of your TV programme establishing narrative themes, characters and location. You could include a title sequence and your finished product should be approximately two minutes long. Watch the following clips and analyse how they establish these elements: Sherlock Titles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYfBIDQfASo Sherlock Opening scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT1avUwv2sA Merlin Titles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3oJzs_k5I Merlin Opening scene:

Friends Titles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLisEEwYZvw Depending on the genre you decide to work in, youll need to watch and analyse a range of title sequences and first-episode openings. This preproduction research will then help you to make decisions about how your own product will establish narrative themes, characters and location.

Moving Image 2. Viral

Create viral marketing products for a new broadcast production. This could consist of one, two-minute moving image product (not a trailer) or a number of shorter pieces. You should consider how your products will encourage audiences to become involved in passing your messages along. Watch these three teasers in sequence:

Sherlock Teaser 1
!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRby5d9hL8s

Sherlock Teaser 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUj4DOYe-gI Sherlock Teaser 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF1Tndsfobc !

What media language features link these teasers? !

Similarities in use of text Similarities in use of font and background Timing Similarities in use three different scenes Use of same music Teaser clips enigmas Similarities in use of anagram at end Final one solves the anagram with Sherlock Returns

Look for other teaser campaigns and consider just how much (and how little) they reveal about the upcoming programme. Remember, youre specifically asked NOT to produce a trailer, so these can be more enigmatic. Their purpose is to get the audience talking about your product and sharing your teaser campaign with each other hopefully even waiting for the next instalment.

Print
1. As part of the promotion for the TV programme, create a teaser ad campaign that will be published before broadcast which aims to generate discussion amongst your target audience. Your print based campaign may make reference to advertising materials on other platforms or 2. Create a front cover and two further pages from a specialist souvenir magazine that will be produced to promote the broadcast production at the time of broadcast.

Print Teaser Ad
As part of the promotion for the TV programme, create a teaser ad campaign that will be published before broadcast which aims to generate discussion amongst your target audience. Your print based campaign may make reference to advertising materials on other platforms 2 and a Half Men | Cloverfield !

Front Cover and Inside Pages

Create a front cover and two further pages from a specialist souvenir magazine that will be produced to promote the broadcast production at the time of broadcast.

Pay close attention to the brief it is very specific on what you need to produce here in terms of quantity.

Front Cover Official Promotional Magazines

!

The brief asks for a specialist souvenir magazine but doesnt specify whether this is an existing publication or a one-off, so you can choose to work on either. If using an existing publication, analyse a number of promotional front covers to give you a sense of their house-style. Look carefully at elements such as fonts; single or multiple image(s); placing of images; placing of text; relationship between text and image(s) in terms of overlays; colour themes; use of off-set text/images; size of bar-code. Notice that all of the magazines above have a coloured circle with a brief promotional statement in them in the top third of the page. It is attention to detail such as this which will help you gain the highest marks.

Two Further Pages

Pay close attention to layout, including range and type of images (studio shots / action shots) and their placement (in-line / offset) and mise-en-scene. Also use of white-space / density of text and image / use of columns / font size / pull-quotes / cover lines / mode of address / camera angle / framing and type of shot and typography. Pay close attention to journalism / mode of address to your target audience. The most common elements which prevent candidates from getting really top marks here include poor quality photos; inappropriate stretching of images; overlarge fonts; errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation; poor use of columns.

Dont just look at one article in one magazine and slavishly follow it. Analyse a range of articles from your chosen publication so that you can demonstrate your creativity and flair when making your own article fit-for-purpose.

E-Media
Analyse the following fan-sites, considering how they have used media language to create a sense of the shows themselves and the creators shared enthusiasm for them. Look through the pages to see the type of content included in them so that you can recreate this in your own site:

http://www.sherlockology.com/

http://www.farfarawaysite.com/merlin/

E-Media Marketing Campaign Banner Advertising

In Page Promotion

Official Web-page / Site

Different from fan websites, this has a more corporate image; consider carefully the distinction between the two so that it is clear which element of the brief you have chosen to respond to. In your evaluation you may wish to analyse the features which identify your website as either the official or the fan website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mjlxv

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018ttws

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g2kjm

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/90210

http://www.e4.com/hollyoaks/index.html

E-Media Social Networking Page

https://twitter.com/#!/merlinfansite/

http://www.facebook.com/Sherlockology Analyse how these and similar products have been constructed so that you can use these ideas to create your own products. Remember, an e-media products need to be produced as fully-functioning, so you can demonstrate how audiences are encouraged to interact with this type of media product.

Remember:
The company is known for its work in pushing the boundaries of existing formats and so is willing to consider original and creative approaches to existing formats. This gives you the opportunity to work in a genre of your choice, which youve researched as one that will appeal to the audience youve been asked to reach.

Rules and regulations!

Avoid use of found images - exam board say no more than 20%, but for this you shouldnt need to use any Avoid over-use of templates (eg. for websites) as they dont allow you to demonstrate your technical competence with the chosen technology or your own flair and creativity. Get pre-production research done before production Dont forget to leave time for all elements this production is marked holistically, so all of your work should be of a similar quality to get you the best possible mark overall. Leave time for the writing of the evaluation (see other MEST2 Advice for this)

Sourced from; http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/mest2-silver-liningproductions/ Caroline Bagshaw | Tuesday September 17, 2013